Death on Tour - Janice Hamrick [76]
“It’s ridiculous to suspect Alan,” said Kyla finally. “I don’t believe it.”
“I don’t want to believe it either,” I agreed. But the doubt lingered. “Let’s go back. They must be done by now.”
We were just starting up the low steps in the next chamber when we heard footsteps drawing closer, and Alan appeared, looking harried. He stared at us in disbelief.
“We thought you’d gone up to the surface. Everyone has been looking for you.”
I searched his face, but all I saw was concern and maybe a little exasperation.
Kyla gave him a brilliant smile. “You told us to wait for you. You didn’t expect us to just stand there doing nothing.”
“And I had to see it,” I added apologetically.
He glanced around at the brilliant paintings and just shook his head. “Come on.”
And that was pretty much the end of our visit to the Valley of the Kings. Once on the surface, I was dragged to a very nice first-aid building where they sprayed some stinging disinfectant on my arm and then wrapped it up like a mummy. Kyla disappeared while I was getting patched up, but returned after a few minutes bearing a t-shirt covered with hieroglyphics. “Twenty pounds,” she said triumphantly. “I haggled.”
I was just putting it on and trying to straighten my hair, when Anni brought in a distraught Fiona, followed closely by Flora.
Anni rattled off something in Arabic, and the nurse put a protective arm around Fiona’s shoulders and led her to a chair. To my surprise, Fiona had blood on one sleeve.
Anni closed her eyes briefly, and then joined Kyla and me. “How are you doing? I hope your arm does not hurt too much.”
“No, it was just a scratch,” I reassured her, then looked over at the sisters. “What happened to them?”
“Fiona fell on some stairs and scraped up her hands.”
“Probably in that stampede,” said Kyla. “I almost fell myself.”
“Probably. But she fell again on the way here. I am worried about the two of them.” She bit her lip and lowered her voice. “I am not sure they are really well enough to have made a trip like this one.”
She wasn’t going to get any argument from any of us on that one.
At that moment, Flora looked over at me like a little owlet, all eyes and glasses. Her mouth formed a perfect circle as she gazed at my bandaged arm.
“Aren’t you on our tour, dear?” she asked. “What happened to your poor arm?”
I did not quite know how to respond to this. Too many details would either frighten or confuse her. After a pause, I just said, “I got pushed and fell when the lights went out in the tomb.”
She drew in a quick breath. “That’s what happened to Foney, too. My sister,” she added by way of explanation. “We’re traveling together. On a boat.”
“Us, too,” I said, nodding. Poor old thing. We’d been together for a week, and she didn’t even recognize me. I hoped that Fiona wasn’t as bad off and was looking after her.
She smiled vaguely at me and wandered back over to her sister. An Egyptian official entered the room with a security guard and joined us. He carried a paper bag and held it out to me.
“We have retrieved your belongings. Would you be so good as to examine them and let us know if anything is missing?” he asked in flawless English. His accent was British.
I took the bag and emptied it on the examining table behind me. My purse was there, sliced right through the side. I looked at the thick leather and felt a chill. That could so easily have been my arm. I picked up the wallet and opened it. Cash, my health card, and my driver’s license were still there. Lip balm, tissues, tickets for the tomb entrance, tic tacs, it was all there. I looked up, puzzled.
“I think that everything is here.”
The official relaxed and smiled. “Very good. And your injury?”
“It’s nothing,” I answered firmly. The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in some huge investigation. I just wanted to get on with the tour. Fortunately, that seemed to be what everyone wanted.
“I want to assure you that we will pursue this matter most diligently. And more security guards will be posted. This is not something usual here. In fact, it